While some gay-rights supporters praised Thursday's vote by the Boy Scouts of America in favor of formally accepting openly gay scouts, others were disappointed in the group's decision to continue to block gay scout leaders.

The Boy Scouts will formally accept openly gay boys beginning 1 January 2014, after more than 60% of its members voted Thursday in favor of ending the longstanding ban. Many conservatives within the scouts were distraught at the outcome of the vote and some threatened to defect. A meeting is planned for next month to discuss the formation of a new organization for boys.

"Within our movement, everyone agrees on one thing, no matter how you feel about this issue, kids are better off in scouting," said BSA president Wayne Perry after the vote. "Our vision is to serve every kid. We want every kid to have a place where they belong, to learn and grow and feel protected."

The organization added one sentence to the membership rules that permits gay youth from entering the organization. While gay rights advocates hailed the decision as a step forward, many were disappointed in the group's decision to block gay leaders from being a part of the organization.

"I wish I could say it's a step forward, but unfortunately, I think it actually makes things worse," said James Dale, the first person to bring a legal challenge against the BSA policy. "I think it's a bit of a step backward."

Dale was dismissed from his position as a volunteer scoutmaster after being quoted in a paper about LGBT issues. He challenged the dismissal in a case that was eventually brought to the US supreme court in 2000.

White House spokesman Shin Inouye said President Barack Obama welcomed the Scouts' decision regarding gay youth but "continues to believe that leadership positions in the Scouts should be open to all, regardless of sexual orientation."

Pascal Tessier, an openly gay 16-year-old scout from Maryland, was told recently by his council that he would not be able to receive his Eagle scout award, the highest honor in scouting, unless the resolution passed.

"Just a few hours ago, I was thinking that today could be my last day as a Boy Scout," said Tessier, pictured. "Obviously, for gay scouts like me, this vote is life-changing."

"I'm so proud of how far we've come, but until there's a place for everyone in Scouting, my work will continue," said Jennifer Tyrrell, whose ouster as a Cub Scout den leader in Ohio because she is lesbian launched a national protest movement.

Tyrrell recalled having to tell her son she had been forced out as den mother.

"He doesn't deserve to be told that we're not good enough," she said. "We're not going to stop until this is over."

More than 1,200 delegates voted at the annual meeting in Texas, with just over 60% supporting an end to the ban. Texas governor Rick Perry, a former boy scout who ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, lamented the decision.

"The Boys Scouts of America has been built upon the values of faith and family for more than 100 years and today's decision contradicts generations of tradition in the name of political correctness," Perry said in a statement. "While I will always cherish my time as a scout and the life lessons I learned, I am greatly disappointed with this decision."

His opinions were echoed, at times much more vehemently, by numerous conservative and anti-gay groups including the Family Research Council.

"It is clear that the current BSA leadership will bend with the winds of popular culture, and the whims of liberal special interest groups," said Perkins. "There is little doubt that God will soon be ushered out of scouting."

Religious groups sponsor 70% of the more than 100,000 scouting units in the US. While some including the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Southern Baptist churches have supported the ban in the past, others think it should be revoked.